Novak Djokovic not the only player ruffled by Tony Jones: How drama between Danielle Collins and broadcaster unfolded at Australian Open

Novak Djokovic and Danielle Collins have both been involved in some controversial moments during the Australian Open. While the American hit back at the booing Australian crowd, the Serb refused to give an on-court interview due to comments made by broadcaster Tony Jones. It also turns out that there is some drama between Collins and Jones too.

It all started when the 31-year-old was heckled during her second-round match against local girl Destanee Aiava. Collins went on to win 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-2 and mocked the crowd after converting her match point, which led to additional boos from them.

The American later spoke about the crowd during her post-match press conference, stating:

"One of the greatest things about being a professional athlete is that the people that don't like you, and the people that hate you, they actually pay your bills."

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Tony Jones' reaction to Danielle Collins' comments

Tony Jones called the 31-year-old a "brat" and said that she "overstepped" her mark with her comments.

“My view is she’s a brat,” he said. “When you get people like Danielle Collins who lives this (lavish) lifestyle and then rubs our noses in it…I thought it overstepped the mark.”

Collins reacted to Jones calling him a brat after her third-round defeat to Madison Keys. The 31-year-old challenged him to do singer Charli XCX's Brat dance.

"But I love this old guy, Tony. Tony Jones? This old, he's, sorry, sorry sorry... everybody in the room that's over, like 70. I just love how he called me a brat, and it's just like, so Gen Z and millennial right now, it's Charli XCX, and I really want him to do the dance that she does. He has to do it. I really want to get a one-on-one with him, and we got to do the dance."

Shortly after this, Tony Jones made his infamous remarks towards Serbian fans and Novak Djokovic, calling the 24-time Grand Slam champion "overrated" and a "has-been".

"Back to Melbourne Park, where you can see the Novak Djokovic fans there in full voice. The chants are quite extraordinary. Novak, he's overated! Novak's a has-been! Novak, kick him out! Boy I'm glad they can't hear me," Jones said.

The Serb reacted to this by not giving a post-match on-court interview to Channel Nine after his straight-set win over Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round. Channel Nine are the Australian Open's official broadcasters, and Tony Jones is a part of their commentary team for the tournament.

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Novak Djokovic lauded Danielle Collins' response to heckling from the crowd

Earlier during the Australian Open, Djokovic gave his thoughts on how Collins dealt with the crowd in Melbourne. The Serb said that he admired the 31-year-old's actions and that he is a huge fan of hers since her comments.

"I loved her response. I loved everything she said on the court and off the court. Big fan of Danielle Collins after that. I was before, but now, big fan. I love it," he said.

Danielle Collins currently has two wins out of four matches so far in 2025. Before the Australian Open, she suffered an opening-round exit at the Adelaide International after losing to Ons Jabeur. Collins was also a part of the United States contingent that won the United Cup.